An Alaskan harvest-elementary school style

I like the idea of writing a "harvest" post this time of year-taking a look back at our own efforts at a wee garden and greenhouse growing, but I think I've missed the mark the past couple of years! My intention was to do one now, but I think I'll wait until after I post this one about Willa's class trip to the u-pick farm. It's a nice taste of agrarian Alaska and the magnificent produce it yields. And it kicks the ass of our little harvest here at home.

Willa's school does a K-6 class trip at the beginning of the school year as a way for kids, parents, and teachers to get acquainted/re-acquainted with each other, to get outside for some kind of harvest activity, and after which the kids bring their goods back to school to prep and cook into something yummy. For years it was a berry picking/hiking trip and the kids would make muffins the next day. This year was different. Since this program is embarking on a year long gardening project, they opted to take a trip up to Palmer to Pyrah's Pioneer Peak Farm to give the kids the experience of a tractor drawn hayride and picking veggies straight from the gardens. I definitely think it was a success! -Our previous berry picking excursions sometimes left us with NO BERRIES, depending on how the summer's weather had been! The farmland up in the Mat-Su valley is just GORGEOUS! Fecund emerald land and indigo mountains...

The kids brought home their veggies to be cleaned that night and then brought them back to school the next day to be chopped and prepped for soup. Each class had about 4 crock pots going in their rooms that day! The smell was heaven. Everyone got to enjoy the soup at our Family Harvest pot luck. A warm and lovely segue into fall.

Teenagers are EVIL!

Or, Things To Do When You Are Sick.
Physically. Not mentally.

(After)

Lo was sick all last week. In fact half of her class has been MIA over the past couple of weeks. Dea was sick yesterday for, like, 10 minutes as per usual. She's got one seriously sound immune system.

Now it's my turn. Sore throat, chills, Huz is in Palm Springs for workshops/fancy award diners/golf, and I'm dealing with the fact that my dad in Florida has been deemed unfit to care for himself. Thus starts the long ordeal of paperwork, getting him to understand he can't go home again, and trying to get him up here to a facility in Alaska where at least he will have family to watch over him.

So, what do I do? Muck about with photos! Lot's of fun Halloween pic tricks to be found on various online photo-altering sites! You, too can create an interpretive photo of your angsty teen that'll really irk 'em!

I kid. And, yes, we've all had our teen moments- I had one yesterday, in fact, after I got a crappy hair cut. Let's take a look back at my FaceBook rant, shall we?

"Great dancing christ-on-a-crutch. They BUTCHED me at the salon. Is there NO ONE in Alaska who knows how to deal with CURL?! I walked out of there looking like Gene Wilder for feksake. I look like an asshole. I'll see you in DECEMBER."
~stomps off and slams bedroom door.

My mind is cast asunder on a daily basis at what a lovely person my girlie is evolving into. Can we not just slow down the whole process, though? A little bit? This "growing up" thing is happening WAY TOO FAST.

(Before)

(Homecoming dance)

Her dress was so cute! I should post the dress that I wore to a Homecoming. PUKE! Twas my MOTHER'S.

Soul food

We've always been quite a social family, but something has changed since the death of our friend last summer. Especially within me. We've been reveling in this Fall with good friends...old and new. Weekends full of hiking, fishing, eating great eats, enjoying new wines and happy margaritas, talking...connecting...in a DEEPER way that I haven't experienced in the last year or so. I am so grateful.
I thank you, Bret, for this.

Hiking the ass-end of Flat-top Mountain and relaxing after

Hiking in April Bowl up Hatcher's Pass

Halibut fishing and the bounty of Resurrection Bay, Alaska

(Wands at the ready!)

Alaska is truly heaven on earth for me. I'm one of those people who's soul is drawn like a magnet to both the ocean and the mountains. In this magnificent place, the two are wedded.

Even if this trip had yielded no fish, the boating out was totally worth it. I have missed the water and just ache for more. Part of me says screw the expansion on the house, let's get a BOAT!!!! Or at least start making serious financial plans for one down the road. Next summer, there must be trips in the kayaks. It's been 6 years , but Lo is old enough to sit in a double now and Dea can handle her own. I'm so excited to introduce this wonderful activity to Lo. I was fortunate to have been able to spend a lot of time on the ocean when I was a kid. I want to give my kids as much exposure to the water as I can. Dea already has designs on becoming a marine biologist. ...So why not have a boat docked down by the Sealife Center, right?!

The owner and captain of the Ranisong is also a fellow financial planner with Huz. We had been out fishing on this boat 3 years ago, before they were both with New York Life, and had no idea it was Randy's until a couple weeks ago. The crew is top notch and these guys ALWAYS find the fish! Shameless plug: Seward Fishing Club .


We headed down to Seward on Friday night and spent the night on the boat. There's lots of bunks to sleep on- very fun! Huz and I enjoyed a plastic camping glass of wine and a stroll around the marina. The stars were blazing-saw a couple shooting-and the water was like glass. Sorry, Huz, for ruining some of the romance by dinking with my camera.

We were up by 6:30 the next morn, and everyone started showing up. Since it was the last official run of the reason, it was "family and friends" day and the boat was packed! The 3 1/2 trip out to the "sweet spot" was chilly but exciting. We spent a lot of time riding on the front of the boat in the wind, spray and glorious sunshine.

Once we got to our destination we weren't exactly "killin 'em" like we did on the trip 3-ish years ago. That time folks were limited out within an hour! Plus we pulled up all kinds of stuff-rockfish, bass, ling cod, salmon.... But this was the end of the season. Most people on this trip caught something, and my family was fortunate to have caught 7 halibut. I was still working on the 8th when the deck hands started mentioning it was about time to head back. Huz knew I was really hoping for a good challenge and that last fish, so he really dinked around with the pole, manipulating it around the bottom-wait a sec! This sounds NAUGHTY!!! ...Basically he dangled the bait at the bottom around the rocks in an enticing manner and we eventually had a bite. So, I'm hauling up this last fish of the day. I'm thinking, EH...this is gonna be a small one. I wanted to reel in a barn door! Oh, well... Then suddenly I feel this intense yanking...I crank the reel harder-fore arm burning now-after a few minutes color emerges from the deep... Yay! A yellow eyed snapper! Sweet! Quite feisty now for a little sucker-or maybe I've gotten WEAK?!?!? A couple more cranks and I realize a mammoth prehistoric FREAK (ling cod) is latched to the body of my lil snapper! I've got a two-fer!!!
PERFECT way to end that fekkin' awesome day!

(I HATE leaving an endless string of photos...so I'm trying the collage thing. Just click to view them in LARGE.)

(Dig that huge ling cod behind the snapper!)

(This was great wildlife viewing experience as well! Humpback whales, sea lions, porpoises playing with the bow, jellies, and otters. I STILL have not seen a puffin!!!!)